Renault – Electric energy, not only for small vehicles

On October 13th, Renault presented the keys of an all-electric 16 t. Renault Midlum to the logistics company STEF-TFE. It is, quite simply, the largest electric-powered truck ever to be put on the road for delivering food products in towns.

This new vehicle offers a silent and non-polluting solution for urban deliveries which is perfectly adapted to the urban environment. It is to be tested over a one-year period and will be supplying fresh products to Carrefour Group store chains in the Lyon conurbation. It is the result of a technological partnership between Renault Trucks, PVI and IFP Energies nouvelles.

The world of goods road transport has to face an enormous environmental challenge. To meet it, the industry players are now examining all possible solutions to reduce its negative effects, or even eliminate them altogether. One of the options under consideration, the use of electrical energy, has extremely interesting potential.

On 13 October 2011, in the company of Gérard Collomb, the Senator-Mayor of Lyon and President of the Greater Lyon Authority, Stefano Chmielewski, the President of Renault Trucks, presented the keys of a 16 ton all-electric Renault Midlum to Francis Lemor, President of STEF-TFE at a ceremony attended by his customer, Didier Thibaud, Supply Chain Director of Carrefour France.

Two other partners with pivotal roles in the success of this project were also present: Pierre-Henri Bigeard, site manager of IFP Energies nouvelles’ Lyon site and Michel Bouton, CEO of PVI. This 16 ton all-electric Renault Midlum is an experimental vehicle. It is the largest all-electric truck ever put on the road for the distribution of fresh food products in an urban environment. From the beginning of 2012, it will start a one-year assignment during which it will be supplying eight Carrefour stores in the centre of Lyon and surrounding conurbation (Carrefour Planet Vénissieux, Carrefour Market at Saint-Fons, as well as several Carrefour City, 8 à huit and Marché + convenience stores).

Using this silent truck will mean that deliveries to town centre stores can be made early in the morning (between 5 AM and 7 AM) to respect the peace and quiet of local residents. The all-electric refrigerated truck will then travel to the Saint-Pierre-de-Chandieu logistics platform so that it can make a delivery to the Carrefour Planet store at Vénissieux in the early afternoon. Altogether, it will cover a distance of 75 km.

This vehicle has been specially designed to keep pace with the changes currently taking place in major metropolitan distribution networks. It offers unparalleled acoustic comfort for drivers and local residents. Non-polluting, emitting absolutely no CO2 and totally silent, this truck can carry 5.5 t of goods. It has an operating range of 100 km and can be fully recharged in only 8 hours. As a result, the vehicle has all the qualities needed for it to blend into its urban environment. This unique solution is the result of close collaboration between Renault Trucks, PVI and IFP Energies nouvelles. It was developed as part of the Melodys project, receiving financial support from the ADEME demonstrator fund. The purpose of this experiment is to test technologies which could be subsequently incorporated into production vehicles under actual operating conditions.